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What is creativity? For most people, the answer to this question lies somewhere between a crayon palette, improvised pasta pans thrown together from leftovers in the fridge and job adverts promising "creative challenges". The Duden dictionary defines creativity as "the quality of a person to be creative". Pretty abstract. In search of a concrete answer, we visit the creativity experts at Burda: In Berlin we meet Michael Pfötsch, Creative Principal at C3. His answer takes us on a journey.
Imagine you're the captain of a boat in the middle of the ocean. You steer the boat and decide where you want to go and how fast you want to go. But you don't know where you're going. You look for a course, but you see neither land nor a fixed point. A whale is swimming in the ocean, deep in the water, far below you. The whale keeps coming up and pointing you in the right direction. You can call it, but it often doesn't hear you. The whale knows you well. You don't know when it will surface, but sometimes it swims right in front of you. And then you finally know where to go.
The story has something to say about the importance of creativity. "Creativity doesn't really have anything to do with an action, but with the process of coming up with ideas," says Michael. At the heart of the story are two opposites that we all carry within us: rationality and creativity. In the story, the captain symbolises rationality. The whale symbolises creativity, our gut feeling that lies somewhere in our subconscious, in the ocean. But let's start at the beginning.
Michael is a designer. But he is also a service provider. His day-to-day work as a Creative Principal at C3 consists of developing extraordinary ideas for clients – ideas that will ultimately be sold. So when Michael develops an idea, unlike some artists, it always has a specific purpose, a goal. The rational part of his job is to meet deadlines, satisfy clients and respond to requests. To make money. This part of the job is also part of the creative process. Isn't that a contradiction in terms? Shouldn't creativity be free? "Yes," says Michael, smiling. "Just at the right time."
Gathering input is the first step in completing an assignment: researching, gathering information, getting to know the company, understanding the product, talking to experts, getting industry opinions. Michael has to absorb as much knowledge as possible in a short space of time. He has to become an expert in the field. This is important. And complicated. Because the next step is the idea: Michael has to forget everything.
This is where the creative moment begins. It's both a dilemma and a problem-solving exercise. "I've just internalised all the information I've worked so hard to acquire. My head is full, I've taken in so much. But that's what becomes a problem when you're creative. Because the rational, the client's wishes, the pitch deadline, personal fears or the sensitivities of colleagues all interfere with the creative moment. What's more: "Rationality makes you uncreative". You need to be free for this part of the process. That means putting the knowledge at the back of your mind and waiting. "Without practice, it's incredibly difficult. But without letting go, there is no creativity.
In the ocean, the whale is in control. As the captain, you sail around looking for your route. You collect and absorb clues. The whale sits deep in your subconscious. The better you feed it, the more likely it is to surface. You can't summon creativity. Sometimes you stare at the undulating surface of the water for an eternity. You wait and wait, the boat drifts quietly. You clear your mind, you wander. And then the whale appears. There's your idea, plucked from the depths of your subconscious.
When the whale appears and a brilliant idea pops into Michael's head, he is usually not at his desk. He's in the shower, lying in bed just before falling asleep, or walking his dog in Berlin. Unexpectedly, he pops up. And then it has to happen quickly: Michael always has his mobile phone or a notepad handy to jot down his thoughts. A first sentence, sometimes just a word. "Many people know this from everyday life: you search deep in your mind for a detail from the past, for example the name of a former classmate. The longer you think about it, the further away the answer becomes. If you stop thinking about it, the name will suddenly appear". The creative moment is the fastest in the whole process. When the whale has surfaced, the captain immediately sees the direction. And can pick up speed. It's time to develop the idea. "The next part requires little creativity. It's just craftsmanship," says Michael.
So what is creativity? "For me, creativity is finding a solution that surprises," answers Michael. An idea that brings out new aspects. A subject that you explore until you ask yourself the question: What does the target audience expect? The solution should be as far away from that as possible. Creativity is the 'aha' moment that ultimately seems quite logical. "In the best case, I don't end up selling an idea, but telling the client a story. And why a story? For the same reason people pay to go to the cinema, concerts or books. Because stories have power. The unique power to captivate and inspire. We would rather read a story than an abstract explanation. Stories have been ingrained in our species since our ancestors sat around the campfire and had (almost) nothing else to talk about. Michael and his colleagues do nothing else in their daily work. If the story is good, the customer and the target group also experience the "aha" effect. But judge for yourself: A whale explaining the concept of creativity – a bit surprising, isn't it?
The whale is well fed. You wait and wait. But it doesn't appear? It's all a matter of training. If you don't think you have an inner whale, you're wrong. We all have it. Some of us have just forgotten how to listen to it. In the second part of the interview you'll find out how we can learn to follow our whale intuition, why it takes a good dose of courage and why we sometimes need to meet other whales. Coming soon here on Burda.com.